Budgeting for a wedding.

I am. We decided very early on what things were important to us and what weren't and started planning from there. I have been trying to do some DIY things here and there to save money too. For example, I wanted real flowers, but spending thousands on flowers wasn't something I wanted to do. I found a local farm that is going to help us put the arrangements together, so sort of in between DIY with some assistance

Our budget is $10,000. We kept our guest list pretty small which helped a lot. We spent the most on the venue, food, and DJ. I also joined a few Facebook wedding marketplace groups where people advertise their services and resale their wedding stuff. I definitely recommend those!

View Quoted Comment Ok great, thank you so much. I will take that tip in planning and write down the most important things. Looks like I can't be lazy.. I will do my research so that I can cut corners where I can.

View Quoted Comment Thats our budget but Im trying to push it to 15,000. Would you mind sharing what marketplace that is?

View Quoted Comment The one I’m in is called Utah wedding yard sale, but I’m sure you could look up some in your area!

View Quoted Comment Ok, thanks again.

View Quoted Comment Here is a good article too.. lots of ideas out there.. You can do it!

https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/planning-your-wedding-on-a-budget

View Quoted Comment Great read! Thanks again. 🤗

Lowering your guest list can cut costs a lot! We aren’t having a videographer since they cost as much as or more than a photographer for a good one and I didn’t want to even bother paying anything for one that wouldn’t be as good. Also look for a dress on sale!

Biggest money-saving tip is to limit your guest list. A $15,000 wedding for immediate family only is quite lavish. A $15,000 wedding for 250 people is going to have you all eating McDonald's.

View Quoted Comment Great point. We had 100 people but I think with all this great advice that number has to go down to 50.

I am.
My biggest tip is live in a rural area.
We're doing a 10k wedding.
I refuse to consider the honeymoon as part of the wedding, because we plan it when we're stressed about other things.
I'd say shop around.
Splurge only on the things that you think are mega important.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for that tip. You guys have been great.

Keeping that guest list down! Shopping around! Get many different quotes, google everything to make sure you're buying items for the best price, and consider buying some things used! Dollar Tree and YouTube (Dollar Tree Centerpieces) will lead you to making gorgeous centerpieces for super cheap, even if you just have a florist make a few small flower arrangements you pop into them or you make faux flower pieces. Dollar Tree also frequently has goblets, chargers, etc for cheaper than you can rent them. You can go online and buy in bulk from Dollar Tree.

Pick one or two things important to you both- make them a priority in your budget- often its usually food and entertainment.

Yes, our budget is 8000, and even that is pushing it for us.
First and foremost, keep your guest list as small as possible... The more people, the more expensive... Just and extra 20 people is around 1000 dollars more roughly.

We were lucky enough to find a family owned banquet hall that specialized in weddings and would only cost us around 4000 for pretty much everything - food, linens with our colors, centerpieces, ceremony, a planner, a limo service, And wedding cake. I know a lot of people dont like banquet halls, but it works for us and might be worth looking into.

Some other suggestions - prior to finding the banquet hall, we realized the cheapest option was renting a place like a rec center gym or a park building. Keep in mind, the only thing they usually provide are tables and chairs, the rest is on you. I found that using different vendors were not as expensive as I thought, and was saving us at least 2000, usually more than having it at a country club or something like that. I was looking for smaller businesses, and found them to be cheaper... My fiance is jamiacan and a jamican food place we found would cater for only 300. We also found an italian spot that was only $15 per plate... You just have to really look and think outside the box. Then for linens, I looked for linen companies that rented in bulk- that way I could get what I want and it wasnt badly priced. Just remember that in most cases, you may be setting up and taking down (unless family helps).

I couldnt agree more with previous posters who mentioned resale places... A good one I have been using for personal touches is Facebook marketplace. I have saved a lot of money that way.

Also, DIYs will help as long as you keep it simple... Sometimes you spend more on supplies to make your DIYs then just buying them...so be careful, but can definitely be a big money saver.

One of the most expensive things is flowers... I learned that naking your own bouquets and boutenniers is not as hard as you would think and a HUGE money savor. You can either buy flowers in bulk at wholesale places, or buy prepare cheap grocery store mouquets and rearrange to your liking. A friend also recommended to me a site called global rose . com . I havent tried it yet but she said its an awesome site.

Lastly, sometimes friends are willing to help... A friend who is a photographer or a DJ are big money savers. Pur friend who is a DJ ffered to do our wedding as his gift to us.

If I think of anything else, I will add. Good luck!

Ps- I highly recommend dollar tree and YouTube for Digs as a previous poster stated.

***DIYs. Sorry for the typo

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your wonderful suggestions, I feel alot better about planning.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your great post. This is defintely reassuring. I will take that advice. Alot of people are offering to help but Im scared they will flake at the last minute. So I will keep it simple as you said.

Also look at having it on a other then Saturday. We saved $2000 off our venue by having a Sunday wedding.